The erect snoutbeam is a perennial member of the legume family (Fabaceae). It is native to the southeast United States and is commonly found in dry open woodlands and sandhills. In North Carolina, it is primarily found in the sandhills and Piedmont areas. The common name comes from the small downward pointing beak or “snout” on the end of the seed pod. This wildflower will grow up to 30 inches tall with few to no branching and relatively few leaves. The erect habit and trifoliate leaves help to identify it from the other two snoutbeans in the area. This plant prefers full sun to partial shade and sandy well-drained soil. It is quite drought-tolerant. and poor soils tolerant but will not tolerate too much shade or wet soils. As with other plants in the legume family, erect snoutbean fixes nitrogen in the soil so no fertilization is needed. The yellow butterfly-shaped flowers appear in May and continue through August. They are followed by the legume. The leaves have deep veins and hairs giving them a crinkly appearance and a velvety feel. Use this plant in a native pollinator garden, in pots, mass-planted or in borders. They will bloom even during the hottest and driest summers and attract pollinators to your garden. This plant was selected as the 2024 NC Wildflower of the Year , a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Velvety
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The green compound leaves are trifoliate, have deep sunken veins and are hairy. Leaflets are 1.5 to 2 inches long and 1/2 as wide. The shape is elliptical. Hairs are present on both sides giving them a velvety feel.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Long Bloom Season
Flower form
Spike
Flower shape
Funnel
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The 1/2-inch long yellow butterfly-shaped flowers grow in small clusters in the leaf axils and at the end of branches. Blooms May through August
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small legumes, usually with 2 seeds
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Green stems with hairs
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Spoutheast USA
Distribution
AL , AR , DC , DE , FL , GA , KY , LA , MD , MS , NC , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV
Wildlife value
Flowers attract pollinators
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Legume
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Container; Naturalized Area; Small Space; Walkways